Doctors recommend pregnant women take a pregnancy supplement containing folic acid daily throughout their pregnancy (and for up to three months before conception) as it is clinically shown to reduce the risk of spina bifida.

That’s why the McKell Institute is calling for the government to make the supplements free for pregnant women holding concession cards.

“25 per cent of doctors have reported patients who are not filling the scripts they need to because of affordability,” McKell Institute’s Sam Crosby told 7 News. “When you’re looking to buy a cot, a pram, a crib, a car seat, everything else is a real impost.”

As Yahoo7 reports, the British government already has a similar system in place.